Squares (crisps) facts for kids
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| Type | Crisp |
|---|---|
| Owner | Walkers |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Related brands | French Fries Quavers Wotsits |
| Markets | United Kingdom |
| Previous owners | The Smith's Snackfood Company |
Squares are a popular British brand of square-shaped crisps. They are made by Walkers, which is part of a bigger company called PepsiCo. Before Walkers, these crisps were first made by The Smith's Snackfood Company.
Contents
The Story of Squares Crisps
Squares crisps have been around for a long time, since at least the 1980s. Back then, they were known as "Square Crisps."
Early Days and Slogans
In their early days, comedian Lenny Henry appeared in many of their TV adverts. The crisps were advertised with fun slogans. Some of these included "more of a crunch than a crisp" and "the crisp that isn't a crisp." These slogans highlighted their unique texture.
Changing Names and Owners
In 1989, PepsiCo bought both Walkers and Smiths. After this, "Square Crisps" changed their name to simply "Square." They were then called "potato snacks" instead of crisps.
For several years, the "Square" brand stayed with Smiths. However, other popular snacks like Quavers and Monster Munch moved to the Walkers brand. In January 2001, Walkers announced a big change. They would relaunch "Square" and move it from the Smiths brand to the Walkers brand. Soon after this, the name of the crisps changed again to "Squares," which is what they are called today.
How Squares Packets Changed
The look of Squares packets has changed many times over the years. In the 1980s, the packets showed that the crisps had 25% less fat. The salt and vinegar packets were a much lighter blue than they are now.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, a jagged border was added around the logo. This was a big change, along with the company and name changes. In the late 2000s, the logo and design changed briefly once more. A new design came out in the 2010s. This design used ideas from earlier packets. It is very similar to the current design, which was introduced in 2019. The current design still has the jagged border and a squares pattern.
Interestingly, the colours of Squares crisp packets are different from Walkers' usual colours. For example, the salt & vinegar Squares packets are blue, but Walkers' salt & vinegar crisps are green. Also, the cheese & onion Squares packets are green, while Walkers' cheese & onion crisps are blue.
What Flavours Do Squares Come In?
Squares crisps come in three main flavours. These are salt & vinegar, ready salted, and cheese & onion. You can also buy them in multipacks, which have several small bags together. The salt & vinegar flavour is the most popular one.
The comedian Richard Osman once joked about Squares in his book The World Cup of Everything. He wrote that Squares were invented because "scientists were concerned that children weren't hurting the roofs of their mouths as often as they should be." This is a funny way to describe how crunchy and sharp the crisps can be!
